Fire Starting Kit

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A few of weeks ago I had a comment which asked about fire-starting kits.

There are numerous ways to start a fire when needed – however there are a couple that I like and use.

My favorite method is to ignite petroleum jelly covered cotton balls within a cardboard shroud. The ingredients for this simple tool is seen below: petroleum jelly, toilet paper cardboard rolls, cotton balls, a Ziploc bag, and matches.

Components for my fire starting kit

Making the kit is easy – just a few steps:

Cover cotton balls with the Vaseline and stuff them inside the toilet paper roll cardboard tube.
Do another one – just in case
Place both tubes inside the zip-loc bag.
Place the matches or Bic lighter inside the bag
Now – zip the bag up so that your kit will be very water resistant.

Cover the cotton balls with the petroleum jelly

Stuff the cotton balls inside the cardboard tube

Kit complete - 2 fire starting tubes

Now – to use your kit – simply remove a tube from the bag – tear open the tube and lay the tube & cotton balls wherever you want your fire to be. Cover with some dry tinder – and light the cotton balls.

One of the tubes is up under there

Can you say..............FIRE!!

This method really works pretty well. It is not uncommon for Mrs. Rourke to get out the cotton balls and Vaseline to start a fire in the fire pit.

Of course – lighter fluid works pretty well too.

Rourke

Tags: fire starting, survival supplies

fire starting | Rourke November 17, 2010

4 Comments to “Fire Starting Kit”

By smorelli, November 17, 2010 @ 3:14 am

We had a friend show us another slick trick when camping. Could be used for emergency starting kit and contribute to recycling at the same time. She saved all her cardboard egg cartons, and in each section she stuffed it with the used lint from her dryer. After all the sections were stuffed, she then dipped old candle wax or parrafin wax over each section of stuffed lint. When it was time to get a fire going she tore off a few sections at a time, lit them with a match and the slow, long burn would help the fire along.
By tjbbpgobIII, November 17, 2010 @ 7:07 am

My boss and I went fishing down in Alabama in January one year, didn’t say we had good sense did I. At one point we pulled into a slough and I noticed some minnows slooowley swimming alongside the boat. About that time we pulled into the bank and got out to start a fire. Well the boss went off in search of something to start a fire with and came back with some pitch pine. I already had a good one going though cause I carried a can of lighter fluid in my tackle. Still do as a matter of fact and some in all my gear plus Zippo lighters, Bic lighters and the flints from used up Bics. these can be used in Zippos or other gas lighters and hardly ever wear out. One flint from a used up Bic can be broken in to several for a Zippo.
By Audrey, November 17, 2010 @ 3:28 pm

This was a simple, yet helpful post. Thank you! Also appreciated the other comments. I’m learning lots of good little tidbits from your blog. I’ll try making some of these next weekend. I want to have several options available for starting fires.
By Rourke, November 17, 2010 @ 5:04 pm

If you need larger flames – just open the carboard tube down the middle and lay it open exposing the cotton balls.

Thanks – Rourke